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Ills Of The Illustrious: Post Hoc Diagnoses Of Historical Figures

Here's the latest (and admittedly speculative) attempt to diagnose WTF was going on with Vincent van Gogh. This study suggests a combination of bipolar and borderline personality disorders, aggravated by alcoholism and severe alcohol withdrawal episodes.
New Research Links Vincent van Gogh’s Delirium to Alcohol Withdrawal

The day before Christmas Eve 1888, Vincent van Gogh cut off his left ear and gave it to a woman at a brothel for safekeeping. Observers were understandably concerned, and when police arrived at the injured artist’s house in Arles, France, the following day, they had him admitted to the hospital.

Much about the night of December 23, 1888, remains unclear, with scholars disagreeing over everything from the events preceding the incident to whether the Dutch painter cut off the entirety of his ear or just a part of it. Among other theories, experts have posited that van Gogh mutilated himself after learning of his beloved brother Theo’s engagement, fighting with friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin, or suffering from incessant hallucinations.

According to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the artist “could later recall nothing about the event.” In a January 1889 letter to Theo, van Gogh wrote, “I’ve just had a simple artist’s bout of craziness.”

Now, a new study published in the International Journal of Bipolar Disorders outlines another explanation for the unexpected act, as well as the broader emotional turmoil experienced by van Gogh prior to his suicide in 1890.

Per a statement from the Netherlands’ University Medical Center Groningen, researchers drew on interviews with three art historians and an assessment of 902 of the artist’s letters to determine that he likely suffered from bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. They suggest that alcohol addiction, malnutrition and rising social tensions exacerbated these conditions, leading van Gogh to cut off his own ear. Following his hospitalization for the injury, the artist may have experienced delirium—a state of abrupt, disruptive confusion and lack of awareness—brought on by alcohol withdrawal. ...

FULL STORY:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...ay-have-suffered-alcohol-withdrawal-180976213

PUBLISHED PAPER:
https://journalbipolardisorders.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40345-020-00196-z
 
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